The Silvertail Curse
Title: The Silvertail Curse
Authors: love_joongie and wetundertherain
Pairing: Yunjae, Yoosu, perhaps random side ones along the way
Genre: AU, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, slight Drama
Plot: Is ours. Yup.
Length: Chaptered
Rating: PG
Warning: This is a collab fic, and the poster might change but it’s only cuz we’re so cool.
Summary: Yunho’s family has always protected the necklace, and now it was his turn. Escaping from wolf-like dogs, he ends up in Hallow’s Edge, a small town rampant with injustice and witchcraft. With no money and no one to come to his aid, he threatens a young warlock into helping him.
Jaejoong lives a solitary life with his silver fox Junsu. He runs a small booth where he sells his fruits and vegetables, keeping a wary distance between himself and the inhabitants of the town. That is until Yunho storms into his life, and drags him out of the town he called home on an insane adventure through the woods to destroy the necklace, before it falls into the wrong hands.
Disclaimer: We don’t own anyone in this fic, but that’s only because we’ve been a bit lazy about our conquests lately… also it turns out you can’t legally own people… I know right? What the hell?
Prologue
Each and every curse word he’d ever heard or could think of passed through his mind as he flew out the back door of his family’s cottage like a bat out of hell. Yunho clutched the tiny satchel his mother had pressed into his chest in his right hand. “Protect this with your life!” She’d called after him, before following after his sister into the vestibule without so much as a goodbye. The satchel held a necklace that had been protected by his family for generations. It seemed to throb against his palm with warmth.
They’d been planning this moment for a long time - probably since even before Yunho was born. It was their duty to protect the pendant, to make sure it never fell into the wrong hands. Ever since he could walk, his father had been training him, preparing him in case anything ever went wrong and he’d have to haul ass out of there with his mother and sister. But somehow when they’d seen the men in black outside their home with their gigantic dogs, all that preparing had gone out the window, and Yunho found himself running blindly and alone into the thick dark forest with no food, no water, no money, and no direction.
There was a small town to the South of their cottage. He could make it there and hide out for a while, just enough time to get his wits together and plan out a course of action. The fact that he’d forgotten his compass as well was yet another stint in his escape route, and he needed to move fast. He dashed heedlessly deeper and deeper into the forest, avoiding branches that threatened to scratch him, as he tried to think up a way to figure out which direction to head into.
The stars were of no help. Although it was past midnight, when they should’ve been at their brightest, the skies were blanketed with clouds from the afternoon rain. Yunho swore under his breath, and started searching the trees for moss as he ran. At least he was going in the right direction. It would have been hell to head back to the house, especially with the dogs that he suspected were already on his trail. With that in mind, Yunho sprinted deeper into the forest, leaping over hollow logs, and ducking to avoid thick branches. He needed to get far enough that the dogs wouldn’t be able to follow his scent. This would be going much faster if the ground weren’t so muddy. His worn shoes got stuck in it, and he had to stop on several occasions to pull them free. He decided to take them off and run barefoot instead. It was one of his better ideas.
A blood-curling scream stopped him in his tracks. That sounded an awful lot like his little sister. Slowly, he turned back, his heart beating wildly in his chest. A dark vicious smoke came out from the tops of the trees. His house was on fire. The house he and his sister were raised in, the home his parents had built was turning to ash. He stood frozen in his spot, torn between his desire to go to his family, and his need to escape. Before he’d had time to make the choice, a low vicious growl caught his attention. The dogs had found him. It was more like a wolf really, too big and strong to be a mere dog. Its fur was a dirty gold, muddied from the rain softened ground. It jumped at Yunho about to latch its bared fangs into the man’s leg. He kicked the dog powerfully in the jaw, and turned on his heels before it started barking to alert its owners.
The rest of them were following him. Yunho could hear their panting breaths and soft footfalls behind him as he darted further into the forest. He reached a tall boulder and jumped off it without hesitation, tucking himself into a ball to minimize the bruising. Dogs were generally put off by heights, and he counted on that to give him a greater head start. He rolled on the soft ground, and sprang up quickly. He cursed at the dull pain throbbing in his shoulder. There was a deep pond a bit to the East. If he could make it there, the mutts would lose his scent.
“Stupid mutts. Don’t just stand there! GO! FIND HIM!”
Yunho swore again, and apologized to no one. His mother was always chastising him for his foul language. Of course, she’d no longer be there to that. Yunho shook his head. This was no time to get sentimental. The men following him had weapons. A dog would have to catch him to harm him, but an arrow could pierce into his back from a hundred feet away without a pause. Yunho had nothing to defend himself with but his bare hands and a small purse, not very effective against a handful of soldiers armoured to their teeth.
He made it to the pond, heart pounding his chest, air chafing down his lungs. The muscles in his legs screamed from over exertion, but he kept moving. He couldn’t hear the dogs and their masters just yet, but he decided against diving loudly into the pond and attracting too much attention. He shoved the satchel into his vest pocket, and snapped a bamboo twig, before stepping as quietly as possible into the water. Yunho gritted his teeth against the freezing waters and made his way into the pool without a sound. He swam under a boulder next to which the bamboo plants grew, and used his twig to breathe. He was safe for the moment.
The only problem with his predicament was that Yunho had no idea if his enemies had arrived or had passed. He told himself to count to at least a thousand before peeking.
One… Two… Three…
The sounds were muffled and distant, but he could still hear them. The heavy armour made it difficult for the soldiers to move quietly. He listened carefully to their movements as they walked around the pond shouting at each other. The dogs were quiet, probably confused by the lack of scent.
Twenty-six… Twenty-seven… Twenty-eight…
Yunho twitched uncomfortably where he hung in the water, trying to remain still for the whole count and not skip any numbers. He was never very patient, and they were being awfully quiet on the surface. The young man almost cracked. One of the dogs barked insistently, and the men’s boots clunked to the right passing very close to his hiding spot before fading away. He’d been in the forest earlier today, maybe his scent had lingered somewhere and the dogs had found it. Yunho held back a sigh of relief. That would have upset the waters.
One hundred thirty-two… One hundred thirty-three… One hundred thirty-four…
Yunho almost choked on water. His bamboo tube had a small hole in it and it was filling up. He swore in his mind, and breathed slowly, making sure to avoid drinking water.
Two hundred… Two hundred and five… Two hundred and ten…
He would die if he waited any longer. He pulled up under the boulder and took a gasping breath. An angry growl hummed in his right ear, and Yunho bit back a curse. He turned slowly to face a rather unhappy looking dog with blood dripping from its gums, and cringed. Above it, a man stood with a crossbow slung over his shoulder. This time the swear word escaped his lips.
Yunho dove back into the water. The arrow passed over his head and plunged deep into the pond. He was an excellent swimmer, but the man would have armed and shouldered his weapon before he’d reached the middle of the pond. It was time for an offensive approach. He pushed himself out of the water, and walked straight towards the surprised bowman, who shot a sloppily aimed arrow at him. Yunho caught it swiftly, and threw it like one would a knife into the man’s throat. He choked and fell onto his knees. The dirty gold mutt barked angrily at Yunho, and launched itself at the boy once again. Another swift kick in the ribs sent it flying backwards whimpering pitifully. Yunho didn’t bother to feel bad, he ran to the closest tree to climb up it. He disappeared into the thick foliage, and patted his pockets to make sure the satchel was secure.
The dog glared at him from the bottom of the tree, trying to bark up at him, but whimpering before the sound could come out. From this height, he could see the others rushing to aid their fallen companion. He jumped to the next tree, hugging himself to the trunk to avoid falling. His palms burned as they scraped against the bark, but his ignored his pain, and moved quickly to the next tree.
By the time the other soldiers had made it back to the pond, Yunho was gone, hidden in the thick foliage of a nearby pine. The powerful smell of the tree protected him from the dogs’ noses, and so long as he remained still, he was invisible.
Yunho brushed his soaking wet hair from his face. He ripped the sleeves off his shirt, while his enemies searched blindly for him through the forest. Yunho wrapped the cloths around his bleeding hands. The tree bark had really scratched his palms. After tying his impromptu bandages, Yunho pulled out the satchel from his pocket. Loosening its strings, he emptied its contents. A rather unimpressive necklace slid into his awaiting palm. A small emerald green stone protected by a golden snake hung on a simple gold chain. The snake looked like it was sinking its fangs into the stone. This was what they were after? Yunho scoffed. It was worth maybe two or three hundred gold coins, not much, and definitely not enough to torch someone’s house and chase him through a forest with dogs. It must have a really powerful magic to it. Yunho unclasped the chain around his neck, and replaced it with the amulet. The pendant rested against the dent in his collarbone like it belonged there.
Yunho put his own necklace in the satchel and pocketed it. The soldiers and dogs had moved North, leaving him a clear path to the town over. They’d probably find him there soon. It was the only town for miles, but he could get some food there, and if he was lucky some weapons and transportation. He didn’t like the idea of running, but he had to find a way to stay alive. He couldn’t exactly take an army alone.
He left his pine tree and jogged steadily South. When dawn broke over the forest, and sunlight poured sluggishly into the darkness, Yunho could distinguish the first few buildings of the town. By the time the sun left its nest in the horizon, he had stopped at the well that stood at the end of the paved road into Hallow’s Edge. The sun pierced the pendant on his neck and it glowed a bright red, before dulling to green again. Yunho took a long drink, and strolled into the town.
~~~
A/N1: Yay! this is a collaboration fic between wetundertherain and moi, becuz we're such good buddies and we thought why the hell not. I hope you like it! and such. And i'm sure he'll be done (yes HE HAHAHHA) with the next chapter real soon! YAY! okay i'll leave now cuz... im going karaokeing with my friends. YAY! Montreal is so cool. kk. THNX for reading and ENJOY!